Every year, as the spooky season approaches, many people get very excited and start decorating their homes, both inside and out, with Halloween decorations. Your cat, black or not, will also appreciate a few new toys. While it's unlikely that your cat will understand the holiday, they'll love the fulfillment that comes with giving them a fun new toy to rotate through.
Perhaps you remember buying your cat an expensive seasonal toy only to have him or her refuse to touch it, instead focusing on the packaging it came in. The good news is that you don't have to spend a fortune to get your cat into the Halloween spirit: there are DIY toys you can make yourself at home, even if you're not the most dexterous.
6 Cat Toys for Halloween
1. Felt Catnip Jack-o'-Lantern Toy by Dream a Little Bigger
Image credit: Dream A Little Bigger Materials: orange felt, brown felt, green felt, black felt, embroidery thread, catnip Tools: Cricut or scissors, embroidery needle, masking tape (optional) Difficulty: Medium
The plans for this jack-o-lantern felt catnip toy call for a Cricut machine, but with careful measurements and some creativity, you can make it entirely by hand. Either way, you'll need some sewing skills. If you don't have embroidery needles and thread at home, you can opt for regular sewing supplies, but be sure to use thick thread to prevent your cat from tearing off pieces of the toy.
If you're feeling more creative, you can add faces to both sides of this toy. Some people like to have a nice face on one side of their jack-o-lantern and a spooky face on the other. If you don't want to bother with two faces, you can just leave the back blank. You may see some seams and overlapping felt, but your cat won't mind.
2. DIY Pumpkin Spider Toy by Chirpy Cats
Image courtesy of Chirpy Cats Materials: pom poms, black pipe cleaners, foam pumpkins, elastic stretch cord, cat-safe paint Tools: scissors, screwdriver, hot glue gun Difficulty: Medium
You can make this pumpkin spider toy using last year's foam pumpkin or buy a new one. This toy is designed to hang as a dangling toy for your cat to play with. Foam pumpkins are not suitable for cats who may chew or carry the toy around, so keep this toy as a dangling toy.
This is one of the easiest toys you can make for your cat, but make sure your child helps with the hot glue and scissors. Use non-toxic paints in case your cat puts this toy in its mouth. If your cat leaves this toy unattended, it may chew through the pumpkin foam.
3. Handmade Felt Mouse Toy by Leah Griffiths
Image courtesy of Lea Griffith Materials: Mouse template (make or buy), felt, embroidery floss, catnip, cotton, soft twine Tools: Scissors, embroidery needle, hot glue gun Difficulty: Medium
This felt mouse toy is not specifically for Halloween, but with a few changes to the colors and features, you can easily make a fun Halloween toy for your cat. From zombie mice to pumpkin mice, this toy is limited only by your imagination. You can download the template for this mouse, or make your own. With the template, you can make this toy again and again for any season or occasion.
Felt or stuffed mice are a classic cat toy, so why not embrace this and make your own? Attach a soft yarn tail securely to the mouse's body. Thread and string can be dangerous if swallowed by cats, so it's very important to make the toy safe for your cat.
4. Haunted Ghost DIY Cat Toy by Instructables
Image credit: Instructables Materials: 2 pairs of old socks, old shoelaces, dried catnip Tools: Scissors Difficulty: Easy
With just two old socks and a string, you can easily make a ghost-like toy for your cat. The plan is very simple, but you can put in a little more effort by decorating the socks to look ghostly. However, we recommend sewing on anything that can be decorated. We do not recommend beads, buttons or glue, as they can be harmful to cats.
5. Crafty Lumberjacks Felt Ghost Cat Toy
Image courtesy of Crafty Lumberjacks Materials: black and white felt, orange thread, catnip, batting Tools: sewing needle, felt glue, scissors Difficulty: Easy
The style of this toy is very similar to the ghost toy above, except it's made using felt instead of old socks, so the process and skill required to make it is very different.
But this plan is super easy: just cut some felt, arrange it to look like a ghost, and sew it together for your cat to play with. Of course, you can use this plan to make any other shape you like.
6. Ruffle Snuffle Catnip Pumpkin
Image courtesy of Rufflesnuffle Materials: orange felt, brown/tan felt, green felt, catnip, invisible thread, cotton balls Tools: scissors, needle Difficulty: easy
Putting this toy together takes a bit of work, but in the end you'll have a really cute pumpkin that your cat will love banging around in. It does require a bit of sewing, but it's not a huge undertaking and should be easy enough for anyone with little to no experience to do.
Make safe DIY cat toys
When making DIY cat toys, it's important to make sure the toy is made in a way that is safe for cats. Many household products and materials used in DIY projects are not safe for cats.
Materials such as string and twine can be very dangerous if swallowed by a cat, so they need to be securely attached to the toy so that your cat can't remove them and eat them. Other materials that your cat can ingest if not securely attached to the toy include buttons, moving eyes and beads.
If you give your cat painted toys, make sure the paint is non-toxic and pet-safe. Most paints made for children are non-toxic and cat-safe, but it's important to take care that your cat doesn't ingest the paint or chew on the painted parts of the toy.
Ultimately, it's important to use common sense when making DIY cat toys. If it seems obviously dangerous to your cat, it's best to avoid it. You also want to make sure your cat is using the toy appropriately. Painted toys and toys made from easy-to-chew foam should only be used during supervised play to prevent your cat from chewing on them. String or twine should not be long enough that it can get wrapped around your cat's neck.
Conclusion
Making DIY toys for your feline friend to celebrate the spooky season with you will not only be a fun project for you, but it will also definitely be a fun project for your cat once it's finished. Most of these DIY toy ideas can be adapted to be used at any time of the year, so let your creativity take over. Just be sure to store the toys you make in a cat-safe place and provide proper supervision. Not only will this help keep your cat safe, but it will also help you bond with your cat through play.
Featured image courtesy of 5 second Studio, Shutterstock